Ministry Highlights Community After School Programme

The Ministry of Social Transformation, Local Government & Community Empowerment showcased the achievements of its Community After School Programme (CASP) during a special ceremony held at its Conference Room on the Waterfront in Castries.

Participants from the various CASP locations island wide presented some of the projects they have been engaged in, including music, art & craft, and performing arts.

As part of the ceremony, the winners of the recent CASP logo competition were presented with their prizes. The CASP also received support from the Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association, the Taiwanese Embassy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who took the opportunity to donate toward the sustainability of the program.

“The kind of skills and talent that the children are exposed to, and are themselves exhibiting, is evidenced by the work I have seen at the programme sites I have visited. This is very encouraging, and tells us that we need to persevere in safeguarding the sustainability and growth of the project, so that we can keep working with these children, and have an impact on many more,” said Minister for Social Transformation the Honourable Harold Dalsan.

In 2009, the Ministry of Social Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment initiated a Community After-School Programme (CASP) in response to an increase in youth crime and an evidentiary need to keep young people engaged in skills building and social development activities during the period after school and before parents return home from work.

By design, the CASP provides opportunities for personal enrichment, behavioral modification and academic improvement for children and youth through active involvement in various areas such as Academic Support, Social and Life Skills, Creative and Theatre Arts, Music, Information and Communication Technology, Home Economics, Sports and Agriculture.

Photo Caption: Highlights From the Ceremony. (Please create gallery).